By: Sharon Aron Baron
While voting in August and November may be the last thing on your mind, it is critical to plan ahead.
According to the nonpartisan organization, League of Women Voters Broward County, they are concerned our next election could look like the fiasco that Milwaukee had back in April. Due to COVID-19, the city had a shortage of poll workers. Typically having 180 voting sites, they had only five — where 18,800 citizens had to wait up to two-and-a-half-hours in line to vote.
While it may never happen here, it’s essential to be prepared by requesting a Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot by visiting www.browardsoe.org. The VBM on-line request app will automatically pop up, and it takes less than a minute to fill it out.
They want voters to think of the VBM ballot as insurance. If you can go out and vote in person during the Early Voting period or on Election Day, then you can just throw the VBM ballot away or take it with you to the polls and give it to the poll worker.
However, if it isn’t safe for you to vote in person, you will have the VBM ballot as a back-up plan to cast your vote. It is a win-win situation.
According to the Broward Supervisor of Election, the legal deadline for requesting vote-by-mail ballots for the 2020 Primary Election is August 8. Of course, you are welcome to vote at any of Broward’s 22 early voting locations or at your precinct for the August 18, 2020 primary.
Go to www.browardsoe.org and request your Vote-by-Mail ballot. The League of Women Voters Broward will provide best practices for voting with your VBM ballot as the August and November elections get closer.
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